Thank you for your interest in working for McGowan Transcriptions. We are currently open to applications from experienced and serious-minded transcribers.

You must be a native English speaker with broadband access, and a typing speed of minimum 70 wpm.

This test will take around 20-30 minutes to complete.

Applications are welcomed from serious candidates only.

Applications will be considered only from candidates based in the following countries: (view in pop-up)

Personal Details

Name: (max 100 chars)

Email address: (max 100 chars)

Email again: (max 100 chars)

Country:

Brief employment history: (max 5000 chars)

Why are you interested in doing this work? (max 500 chars)

Have you applied to us previously and failed?

Yes No

Further questions

Please answer these further questions.

1.1 - Do you have broadband Internet access? yes no1.2 - Is English your native language? yes no1.3 - Do you have a typing speed of 65 wpm? (This will be tested with a requirement of 90 percent accuracy.) yes no1.4 - Do you have transcription experience? yes no

Correct/incorrect statements

This is a test of your use of English. Please state whether you consider the following to be correct or incorrect.

2.1 - The things he's done must be preying on his mind. correct incorrect2.2 - I tried to avoid hitting the pedestrians but I couldn't break in time. correct incorrect2.3 - When the homeowners discovered that their apartment had been ransacked, they went quite pale. correct incorrect2.4 - The evening sun was setting over the horizon as seabirds soared high up above the yacht. correct incorrect2.5 - Brian auditioned for the choir a fortnight ago and was told he was a base. correct incorrect2.6 - My daughter is now a seamstress and my son is a naval cadet. correct incorrect2.7 - Fed up with all the politics at my workplace, I asked my boss for a transfer but he said he was unable to accede to my request. correct incorrect2.8 - I took out holiday insurance so we would have piece of mind while abroad. correct incorrect2.9 - We spent our honeymoon at the Waldorf, and although we had a pretty decent budget we were unable to afford the bridal suite. correct incorrect2.10 - The teacher was so dissatisfied with my work that she accused me of shear carelessness. correct incorrect2.11 - When I explained to the class they would need to stay behind for extra tuition, they're faces fell. correct incorrect2.12 - I gave my hamster its food, but it just lay still and showed no signs of interest. correct incorrect2.13 - The delivery company can't prove that they brought my new furniture hear because they didn't get my signature. correct incorrect2.14 - Your not seriously telling me you expect me to believe you got stuck in traffic again! correct incorrect2.15 - If you stay out late every night, it's bound to effect your work. correct incorrect2.16 - In order to pass your exams, you'll need to practice the piano for at least an hour every day. correct incorrect2.17 - I took my youngest son to the local children's chess club, but we found the standard was too high for him. correct incorrect

Multiple choice questions

Read the text below, then, from the four options in each case, select the most suitable.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the musical ___1___ with the golden touch who has, for more than twenty-five years, been the ___2___ force in musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic, and indeed around the world.

The story of his success began not in one of the prestigious West End or Broadway theatres but in the assembly hall of a small West London prep school in 1968. The couple of hundred parents who had ___3___ there for an end-of-term concert were witnessing the birth of a modern musical ___4___. The engaging pop cantata which their sons were singing – a piece called Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – had been composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, still not twenty years old.

Twenty-four years later, the same composer became Sir Andrew when he was knighted by the Queen for services to the arts in Jun 1992. And in February the following year he was given the ___5___ showbiz accolade of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Now the most successful composer in the history of musical theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber has ___6___ his place alongside Gershwin, Sondheim, Porter and the other greats of that ___7___.

When you have installed this software, there are two ways you can access the test recording.

1 - right-click on the link below and download the recording to your computer, then open it and play it; or

2 - simply select and copy the link below, then in the FTW Transcriber go to File, Open from Remote, and paste the link. It will then begin to play without you needing to download it.

For the purposes of transcribing this recording:

- transcribe verbatim, including all ums and ahs and vocal sounds;

- note [overtalking] when necessary;

- note and time-stamp all unclear words, e.g. My name is [unclear 01:23:16];

- do research spellings of words you do not know;

- if you are 80% sure you have recognized a word, include it; otherwise type [unclear]. However, you must try your best to make out unclear words. If you leave out or misrecognise too many words, your transcript will not be useful to the client;

- do use punctuation and grammar as you would in normal English writing.

You can transcribe the recording in Microsoft Word or any other word processor. When you have finished, paste your transcript into the text box below, enter the spam prevention password, and then click SUBMIT.